Churchill Brothers’ Odafe hit a hat-trick to help his side beat Mohun Bagan 3-1 in the 122nd Durand Cup.

By Garima Verma

Odafe power was to the fore again as Churchill Brothers beat Mohun Bagan 3-1 to clinch the Durand Cup on Tuesday. The Goans rode on their skipper's hat-trick to win their third straight title after the I-League 2008-09 and the IFA Shield.

After both the sides failed to open the scoring in the 90 minutes, Bagan's Edeh Chidi drew the first blood in the extra time. Churchill's star striker Odafe Onyeka Okolie then slammed three goals to lead his side to their second Durand Cup trophy.

The 16-time Durand champions Bagan and 2008 runners-up Churchill started the match at the Ambedkar Stadium on a cautious note but as the match progressed, the intentions became clear as the raids became frequent in each other's area.

Day's action in pics

Chidi rang the first warning bell in the 10th minute but could only bounce the ball on the woodwork. Two minutes later, Churchill got the first taste of bad refereeing when a Bagan player handed the ball in the goal-box but the referee didn't heed to their appeals.

In the last minute of the first half, Odafe almost put the 2007 champions, Churchill, ahead. Charging down the right flank, he was in a one-on-one situation with Bagan skipper and goalkeeper Sangram Mukherjee. As the Nigerian forward entered the 18-yard box, Sangram rushed out to ward off the danger. Odafe played a perfect lob over a diving Sangram but the ball crashed onto the right post. Few moments later, Odafe again had a similar opportunity, but Sangram was all alert this time.

The second half continued on the same thrilling note. While Charan Rai and Ogba Kalu Nwanna, in tandem with Odafe, sounded several threats in the Bagan area, they could not make the ball land in the coveted area.

Bagan side of story was also no different. Chidi and Barreto led a number of attacks but their attempts either met with misfortune or a resilient Churchill custodian Arindam Bhattacharya.

The Goans once again had to bear with an untoward decision, when the referee turned down their appeal for a penalty in the 83rd minute. After making a solo effort, Kalu was about to take the shot at the goal when he was brought down by a charging Sangram. As the whole Churchill squad gathered around the referee for a spot-kick, he again dismissed their demand.

Chidi finally broke the deadlock in the 95th minute. He swiftly headed home substitute Sbhojit Kumar's free-kick to take the important lead. But just when the Kolkatan side had started thinking about the silverware, they were struck with a storm called Odafe in the 100th minute.

Charan played an accurate pass to Odafe at the edge of the area. Odafe then dodged two Bagan defenders to calmly slip the ball past Sangram.

Just five minutes later, Odafe showed his prowess again. After Sangram saved a shot from Charan, Odafe hit a sturdy header to the resulting rebound to take the lead and, in another five minutes, Odafe put the lid on the encounter by scoring his third one. Getting the ball at 23 yards centre, he cut across Bagan defense and effortlessly lobbed the ball into the net as Sangram proved to be a little late.

With this triumph, Churchill added another winning chapter in their latest rivalry with Bagan. Churchill had also got the better of the Kolkatan side in the recent 114th edition of the IFA Shield, winning 2-0 through goals from Reisangmi Vashum and Odafe.